When Alex Pangman sings, you hear the echoes of past singers joyously delivered as if she were a contemporary of greats like Lee Wiley and Mildred Bailey and not following in their footsteps. Her style has earned her the title “Canada’s Sweetheart of Swing” and her repertoire isn’t drawn just from the hits that survived the test of time. Pangman practices what she calls “musical archaeology” as in being drawn to, and reintroducing, the lesser-known songs from the 78-rpm era. She is on a mission to bring this music to new audiences and to keep it alive.
What audiences may not know about this lively, smiling and swinging songstress is that what’s keeping her alive is the generosity of two organ donors. Pangman was born in 1976 with cystic fibrosis, an often-fatal and debilitating disease that attacks the lungs. The fact she is a prodigious performer who has successfully survived a double lung transplant in November 2008 and another one just six years later is a modern medical miracle.
“I’m an old soul but I’m really glad I wasn’t born in 1930,” the vintage-loving Pangman joked from her home in Toronto. She doesn’t see herself as unique, pointing out that many of her idols made their art despite challenges—but her major life challenges might have sunk a less committed artist.
As one might expect, the ability to control one’s breath is paramount for a sing
